The Malik Report

George’s note: We’re having a blog hiccup. It should be resolved shortly. Sorry for the inconvenience!

Updated with trade talk from Pierre LeBrun at 10:48 PM: The Detroit Red Wings’ 3-2 shootout win over the Phoenix Coyotes produced a lovely result in 100 wins for Jimmy Howard, 300 for coach Mike Babcock and a game that was, quite honestly, an incredibly spotty effort byt he Wings, who may have proven that you don’t need to go to the West Coast to play like your legs feel like lead and your brain just fuzzy enough to be sure that you can make the extra deke or pass back to a more open man instead of burying a puck and/or ensuring that you corral a rebound.

Don’t get me wrong, all the credit in the world can and should go to Coyotes goalie Mike Smith for a fantastic 40-save performance, but when the Red Wings are putting that much rubber on an opposing goalie, they’re not usually the ones rallying from two one-goal deficits, clutching their sticks too tightly on the power play (which still stinks), and, quite frankly, if the Wings had screened Smith more consistently or pounced on rebounds the way Ray Whitney, Radim Vrbata, Mikkel Boedeker and Shane Doan did on Jimmy Howard, this game would have taken 50 minutes to win, not 65-plus.

I guess that’s the pleasant way of saying that the Wings were indecisive in too many crucial moments, and that they gave their goaltender far, far too hard a road to hoe despite the fact that Howard faced a not-so-slim 27 Coyotes shots.

The Wings started the game roaring through the middle of the ice—in no small part due to a lovely return performance from Jan Mursak, who looked pretty damn good for a speedy forechecker who dangled and deked as much as he forechecked and ground his opponents down—peppering Smith with 13 shots, but it was the Coyotes who scored the first goal, with Radim Vrbata being allowed to all but walk in alone (just as he did in the shootout, except with 5 Wings on the ice), split White and Kronwall and roof it over Howard, who (in regulation and the shootout) went down early.

Thankfully, Ian White and Valtteri Filppula combined on a steal-and-score play with under a minute left in the first period, and despite the fact that Mike Smith made some amazing saves on Wings in alone, too, there was a sense that the Wings didn’t make Smith’s life difficult enough.

In the second, again, the Wings started roaring out of the gate, but the Coyotes started mucking things up, slowing the Wings’ speed through the neutral zone and engaging in a heavy, hard forecheck which started to grind on the Wings and result in mistakes made which, again, made the shot disparity in the period not underscore the fact that Howard had to bail out his teammates on more than one occasion, too, especially when Doan, Daymond Langkow and the Coyotes’ defense started stealing the puck from lackadaisical Wings trying to clear the puck too casually on a regular basis. Instead, the Wings whiffed on two power plays and simply went into the second intermission playing, “Well, I guess we’re tied, we’ll be fine if we push in the third” hockey.

The Yotes’ effort paid off in the third period, when Kyle Chipchura and Taylor Pyatt capitalized on a bad pinch by Jonathan Ericsson and worked Cory Emmerton like the non-defenseman he was as Pyatt roofed the puck over, this time, a goaltender who had no chance because Jakub Kindl and Emmerton basically backed him up into his own net—a net which the Yotes would start crashing on a very regular basis.

The Wings picked it up and perked up after the goal against, and they did a lovely job of countering the Coyotes’ punches, sometimes literally, but in a game where both teams got away with their share of shenanigans—and the league seems to continue to be willing to let shi, I mean stuff go during the middle of the season, every season—the Wings went to the net harder, as was evidenced by Johan Franzen’s elegant tap in of a lovely keep-in by Nicklas Lidstrom that went around to Danny Cleary (he had a fantastic game himself) and Pavel Datsyuk, who feathered a seeing-eye pass to Franzen at the halfway point of the 3rd.

The Wings dialed their intensity back after that, however, and the Coyotes got more than their share of chances to ram the puck and/or, in Boedeker’s case, Howard into the Wings’ cage. Howard made some very “underrated” saves as his defense didn’t seem as willing to clear rebounds, so Howard chose to keep the puck himself instead of keeping play going as Smith chose to do.

The game also ground to a halt in overtime because the Wings continued to indulge in what seemed like endless loop-backs, passes back to defensemen and one-and-done shots and chances, leaving the Coyotes with exactly what they’d hoped for after a grinding game whose offensive flourishes by the Wings were shrugged off by Smith and his teammates.

In the shootout, Pavel Datsyuk went glove side on Smith and found the back of the net, but Jiri Hudler’s five hole opportunity went awry, as did Valtteri Filppula’s attempt to deke Smith on the blocker side, allowing Howard to be brought down and out by Vrbata.

In “shootout overtime,” however, Henrik Zetterberg did this…

And two lovely saves by Howard, first on Oliver Ekman-Larsson to ensure that there would be “shootout overtime,” and then Lauri Korpikoski, ensured that all of the Wings’ gorgeous plays and high-tempo offense, minus any willingness to actually put in the hard work that is putting pucks behind an opposing goalie who stops what he sees, did not go for naught.

Sometimes you take a win, especially when you’re in the middle of a stretch of games in which you play every other night, when your legs feel a little heavy, your brains feel a little fuzzy and you perhaps underestimate your opponents’ ability to counter your slightly shaky fit and finish with some surprising offense of their own.

The Yotes are going to make a hard push for the playoffs, and the Wings might want to take them more seriously when the teams meet a week from today in Glendale.

Do the Wings get credit for playing better defensively in front of Howard? Sure, but they also played a little too loosely to back it up with offense at the other end, sort of accepting that the Yotes’ goalie was going to play lights-out instead of doing something about it, and that’s…It is what it is.

Here’s the whole shootout, if you’d like to watch it:

Howard deservedly earned his 100th win, and Babcock earned his 400th win as well, but the Wings will have to play much sharper and be much harder in front of their opponent’s goaltender if they wish to defeat Chicago and tie a franchise record winning streak on Saturday afternoon. It wouldn’t hurt if Bertuzzi returns from whatever he’s got (lower-body something), either, because the Wings need all the jam they can get.

The New York Rangers, we’re hearing, are looking for either a top-six forward who can put the puck in the net and/or a power-play defenseman with a good shot. Like most other contenders, including the likes of Philadelphia and Detroit, the Rangers are keeping a close eye on Nashville and what the Predators are going to do with either Suter (UFA July 1) or Shea Weber (RFA July 1). Needless to say, the Rangers would covet either one of those studs on defense.
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The Detroit Red Wings have more cap space than they’ve ever had since this system was put in place in 2005. They’ll be looking to add, but not at all costs.

“We got cap space, I’m going to work the phones like I always do over the next six to seven weeks,” Wings GM Ken Holland told ESPN.com Thursday. “If there’s a fit, we’ll do something, but if there isn’t, I don’t feel the urge to do something for the sake of doing something. I like our team.”

As I reported earlier this season, I believe the Wings have some interest in Oilers winger Ales Hemsky, who is UFA July 1. I also believe an upgrade on backup goalie Ty Conklin would be a target.

Comments

Datsyuk is not only noticeable when he is on the ice he is even more noticeable when he is off the ice. It is incredible. Datsyuk is everything the Red Wings stand for. I have a feeling that the Wings will make a move at the trade deadline but it will be for a piece of the puzzle, not a “top six” or a “big defensman”. Maybe a backup but I doubt it. I have for a long time said that Henrik Zetterberg is the next captain of the Red Wings (going as far as buy my first official jersey with 40 on the back” but the longer TPH stays and the more I watch 13, I think we might even see Pav with the C on next.

WIIM had an interesting discussion the other day about “who are the Wings?”. I have a lot to say on the subject but I am going to stay out of it for now. At this point I am happy for a big win over the Yotes and an amazing performance by Datsyuk.

LeBrun just cannot let go of that Hemsky-to-the-Wings tube, can he? Just squeezing it for everything he can muster.

Posted by
SYF
from the C7.R, flyin' low and feelin' mean on 01/13/12 at 02:13 AM ET

I like our team.

OK here’s the thing. I don’t know if he’s saying that in public just so that other GMs think he’d be dealing from a position of weakness, but how can someone look at this team, a team that is almost identical to the teams that couldn’t make it past the second round and say that he likes it?

Of course, I probably answered my own question, and I would be shocked if at least most of that cap space has not been eaten up by the time the bell tolls on deadline day.

I have for a long time said that Henrik Zetterberg is the next captain of the Red Wings (going as far as buy my first official jersey with 40 on the back” but the longer TPH stays and the more I watch 13, I think we might even see Pav with the C on next.

There’s no rule that the best player has to be captain. And often that doesn’t work, see Rick Nash, and Ovie as prime examples. Some people just arent fit for that responsibility, and thats not a bad thing either. But that’s not to say Pav would be bad at it, and there’s no doubt he provides leadership by example in terms of work ethic. But I feel like he prefers to stay out of the direct spotlight.

I’ve actually been starting to wonder if Kronwall might get the job. His play hasn’t suffered with the letter this year, he’s taken more and more of the interviews, is always very well spoken, and doesn’t shy from his and the teams responsibilities or issues.

Of course, I probably answered my own question, and I would be shocked if at least most of that cap space has not been eaten up by the time the bell tolls on deadline day.

Posted by Garth on 01/12/12 at 11:33 PM ET

Tick Tock.

Posted by
mrfluffy
from A wide spot on I-90 in Montana on 01/13/12 at 03:31 AM ET

If Phoenix decides to have a fire sale, the Red Wings could do a lot worse than to grab Daymond Langkow. I know he is a role player, but he also drives Detroit nuts and he should be available at a reasonable price.

I’ve actually been starting to wonder if Kronwall might get the job. His play hasn’t suffered with the letter this year, he’s taken more and more of the interviews, is always very well spoken, and doesn’t shy from his and the teams responsibilities or issues.

Posted by Nate A from Detroit-ish on 01/13/12 at 12:15 AM ET

agree 100%. That even crossed my mind as I was typing. He is Lidstrom’ish in the sense of he speaks for the team a lot now (like Zetterberg) but I feel like Pav is the man. Like Yzerman before him and Lidstrom now he lead by example. He doesnt need to scream or yell. He just does whats needed. And that is the Red Wings way. I dig Kronner, and wouldnt be opposed. BUT, my gut is Z or Pav and I love Pav in a way that is totally hockey related. I swear.

George, I was at the game and you are exactly right, Mursak was tearing it up tonight, him, Helm and White (although he did screw up on that first goal) were the three best players that aren’t one of the “star players” (13,40,5,35,55,)

Datsyuk would be a fine captain, but I believe that he would not want to be the one that is relied upon for quotes, answers and information about the team. He doesn’t seem 100% comfortable speaking English and I think that would bother him a bit. He leads by his play and his work ethic. He can be a great leader without being the captain. Kronwall or Z

Posted by
howie young
on 01/13/12 at 04:02 PM ET

Zata with the “C,” Dangles and Kronner with the “A.” If they want to add another “A” to the group, I’d be cool with Abber or Helm wearing it.

Posted by
SYF
from the C7.R, flyin' low and feelin' mean on 01/13/12 at 04:15 PM ET

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